


Sparks

by firecrackerroot



Series: Haynox Paradise [2]
Category: The Marine (Movies), World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: F/F, charlynch au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-22
Updated: 2019-02-22
Packaged: 2019-11-04 00:42:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17888258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firecrackerroot/pseuds/firecrackerroot
Summary: In which we delve into certain parts of Maddy and Cassie's journey that I didn't get to fully expand on the original story.





	Sparks

_ “This isn't my first time.” Cassie's confession surprised Maddy and, for a second, she wasn't sure what she was talking about. “The fire.” _

__  
_ “I know,” Maddy nodded, remembering the dorm room incident from Cassie's second year of college. _ __  
__  
_ “No, that was actually an accident.” Cassie cleared her throat and took off her seatbelt. “And it wasn't my fault.” She sighed. The incident had been attributed to her and she had to move into another room. “Remember Max? Your gym girlfriend who turned out to be a grand theft addict?” _ __  
__  
_ “No…”  _ __  
__  
_ “She deserved it.” _ __  
__  
_ Maddy couldn't disagree with her. The woman stole her motorcycle after a date and Maddy never saw her again. Neither the woman nor the motorcycle. But word on the street was that the woman changed towns after a freaky accident. “What did you do?” _ __  
__  
_ “She stole from you after cocktails and I threw her a cocktail she'd never forget.” Cassie's lips perked up in a proud grin. _ __  
__  
_ Maddy could blame her lack of anger on the situation she was in but, deep down, she was amused by it. Deeply. “And you didn't tell me before because…” _ __  
__  
_ “I was afraid of your reaction.” _ __  
__  
_ “To you being a pyromaniac or destroying my bike?” _ __  
__  
_ “Both.”  _ __  
__  
_ “Well,” Maddy shrugged and took off her seatbelt to allow her to turn towards Cassie. “About the bike, I got a better one after that and about the fire, if I remember correctly, I gave you that lighter after the dorm accident…” _ __  
__  
_ “And you brought the gasoline today.” Cassie added, turning ever so slightly but enough to wiggle her right eyebrow at Maddy. As a punctuation mark. “Plus I'm not a pyromaniac, according to the therapist they made me see on campus.” _ __  
_  
_ __ “I'm still here. Whatever the definition is, I'm still here.”

 

* * *

 

**_Portland (Oregon), USA / Somewhere in 2008_ **

 

Cassie was sitting in the curb by the lamp post on her street. The Knox house stood behind her and she was supposed to have arrived two hours ago. Truth be told, she did arrive on time. She just…Didn't enter the house. Out of all the reasons the principal of her university had to call her parents, it had to be  _ this  _ one. And it wasn't even her fault. She just… Didn't stop the fire.

 

Her dorm colleague, Michelle, left the room in a storm because her boyfriend broke up with her and, when the door slammed against the frame, well… The lava lamp on her bedside table crashed and started a fire. Cassie, who was sitting at the window, just watched. The alarm rang almost instantly and someone broke the door with a fire extinguisher in hand. The flames were gone as fast as they started and Cassie was still sitting at the window. Not in shock, nor in fear but… In awe.

 

“Stupid, stupid, stupid.” Cassie mumbled to herself, hiding her face in her hands as she recounted the moment in her head. She knew the right thing to do would've been alert someone or ask for help or explain to the board of directors how it happened but no. She had to walk out of the room smiling. Because the fire, the flames, were beautiful. And she couldn't look away, let alone call for help. She was mesmerized and she couldn’t hide it.

 

“There you are.”

 

A voice brought Cassie back to reality. To the curb on her street. A voice that calmed her down and made her breathe in relief for the first time since she boarded the train to go home for the weekend. A voice that could only belong to one person, the only who had the ability to soothe her raging storms with a simple hello.

 

“I've been looking for you everywhere.” Maddy spoke softer than usual and Cassie knew she had already been told the story. Still, she closed her eyes when Maddy's lips touched the top of her head. “Your parents wanted to call you but I told them you were probably taking your time.”

 

“I am.” Cassie mumbled against her hands and rested her head on Maddy's thigh. She heard her best friend chuckle and felt fingers brush through her hair right away. “Is he mad?”

 

“No, neither of them are.” Maddy assured. “In fact, if you just looked behind you, you'd see them waiting for you.”

 

“Oh God,” Cassie cried and shook her head. “They're at the window?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Cassie sighed and looked up form her hands. Maddy was standing in front of her, smiling like nothing had happened. Smiling like Cassie hadn't been accused of starting a fire and fined with the costs of reparations. Smiling like Cassie was just home for the weekend and she couldn't wait to get together.

 

“I don't want to face them.”

 

“Cass,” Maddy exhaled and crouched, placing her hands over Cassie’s knees. “They're not mad, I promise you.” Cassie semi shut her eyes to show her disbelief and raised her pinky, which brought a belly laugh out of Maddy. Linking their pinkies, Maddy squeezed Cassie's a little harder. “With my pinky.”

 

“Good.” Cassie nodded, more to herself and her doubts than anything else.

 

“C'mon, then,” Maddy stood but as she did so, something fell out of her pocket. A black square that looked a lot like a lighter. “Shit.” She bent down to grab the object but Cassie beat her to it.

 

“Why do you carry a lighter?” Cassie asked, taking Maddy's extended hand to help her up. “You don't even smoke.”

 

“Bought it just now while I was looking for you.” Maddy shrugged and that only furthered Cassie's indignation. “What?”

 

“Why?” Cassie asked one more time, opening the lighter and watching the flame ignite.

 

“Figured you could have it.”

 

Closing the lighter to shut down the fire, Cassie looked deep into Maddy's eyes. There wasn't a hint of mockery or anything of the sort. Only adoration. The same she knew her eyes carried if Maddy looked at her long enough to see.

 

“I don't smoke, Mads.”

 

“Yet.” Maddy winked and Cassie rolled her eyes. Earlier in that week, they had a phone conversation about how everyone smoked in this group Cassie had on campus. And how pressured she felt to join them but didn't.  _ Yet _ .

 

“Besides,” Maddy continued as she put Cassie's backpack over her shoulder. She walked ahead and, being well acquainted with her best friend's antics, Cassie waited because something was coming. “It'll make you look cool when you start a fire again.”

 

“I knew it! I'm out!” Cassie yelled and waved back as she started walking away from the house. “One,” She counted to herself, under her breath. “Two,” She took a few more steps. “Three.”

 

“Cassie!” There it was. Maddy's pleading for her. It was almost too easy yet Cassie loved their little games. “Come back! Your mom made apple pie!” Cassie raised her eyebrow and stopped on her tracks. Apple pie was the dessert her mother made when she was back home. Everyone truly was treating her like nothing had happened. 

 

Cassie looked at the lighter in her hand, then over her shoulder at Maddy by the curb with the house behind her, and smiled. The reason to be back home wasn't the best but… it was the best being back home.

 

* * *

 

 

**FOUR DAYS LATER**

 

Click. Click. Click.

 

Opening and closing. Opening and closing. Opening and closing.

 

Chemistry class. One of Cassie's favourites. And the teacher was talking about combustion. As if the universe was trying to teach her a lesson about fires. As if she hadn't been involved in one not even a week ago. He was talking and talking but Cassie lost his train of thought about 5 minutes into his explanation. There was something else on her mind. Something that… happened.

 

On Saturday night, when they were watching a movie, Cassie fell asleep on the couch. And when she woke up, she and Maddy were holding each other. Her head rested against Maddy's chest and Maddy's arms were around her. She blinked, once or twice, and looked up at Maddy's sleeping features. Beautiful, was all that occurred to her. The dim light and abundant shadows drew the lines of Maddy's face, as if she had been crafted out of the finest piece of marble.

 

Although she wanted to get up, Cassie didn't want to move. The risk of waking Maddy 

was too big to take. And Cassie felt comfortable. Like she had never been. So she held Maddy a little tighter and closed her eyes again. Breathing into the body cream scent, Cassie felt herself being transported into another dimension. One where she was  _ with _ Maddy. 

 

Click. Click. Click.

 

As much as Cassie tried to push that thought away, it crawled back to her. Dancing around her head. Parading itself in front of her eyes like a movie. And did that movie feel good. Deep inside, the simple thought of holding Maddy as more than a friend warmed every fiber of Cassie's being. Every atom, every molecule, every component of Cassie's body, suddenly ignited. Truthfully warming up to the idea.

 

But Cassie knew it would never be more than that. An idea. She knew Maddy would never see her as more than a sister. As more than a best friend. She knew that. But… it didn't stop her. From thinking about it. From imagining what would happen to her body if their lips touched. Maybe she would burn in Hell but she was willing to. Just for the taste. She was willing to feel the flames consume her… just for the simple taste.

 

“Cassandra Knox!” The stern tone of her favourite teacher made Cassie drop the lighter in her lap. “Fire cannot occur without heat, fuel and…”

 

Cassie didn't need to be paying attention to know the answer. It was far too simple yet she understood what the teacher did. He wanted her to focus and stop playing around. But the answer to his question was the same thing she lacked lately. The same thing she kept burning with her lighter. The same thing she found herself wanting Maddy to take away from her.

 

“Oxygen.”

 

A chuckle found its way to her mouth and Cassie bit her lower lip. The teacher nodded at her and continued his explanation. But Cassie went back into her thoughts. Into the warmth of that embrace in the couch. Into the comforting sensation that spread through her body. And once she grabbed ahold of her lighter again, Cassie ignited it again.

 

“If I’m the fire,” She murmured, watching the flame shiver with the way she was swaying her hand. “And our relationship is the heat,” She continued, glad no one was sitting near her that day. “And,” Cassie snorted at the thought, “I’m willing to let my oxygen burn, that makes her,” Cassie licked her lower lip and smiled fondly. “My fuel.”

 

_ “And that, my fellow students, is what happens when fire meets gasoline.” _

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Did you miss me? ;) I pinky promised I'd be back on February 22 and here I am. Welcome back into our beautiful Haynox Paradise. Make yourselves at home, we're going to expand the universe!
> 
> Title of this chapter is the song: Fire Meet Gasoline by Sia.


End file.
